Fears From the Past
by MarsCrystal42
Summary: Ever wonder why nobody ever mentions Princess Serenity's father? Or why, when Usagi faces threats on a daily basis, she has a phobia of thunderstorms? One day, sitting with Mamoru, Usagi tells the story of how she grew to hate storms and how nobody talks about her father. Just a short, sad little one-shot I wrote. Rated T for violence.


I've always wondered why Usagi was so afraid of storms when she faced worse things on a daily basis. I decided to give her a backstory that also explained why nobody ever mentions Princess Serenity's father.

Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon.

Usagi gave a small shriek as a clap of thunder sounded outside. She huddled closer to Mamoru, wishing that they hadn't been caught in the storm. She had come over o Mamoru's apartment when the storm struck. It was mid fall, so they were sitting under a blanket with mugs of hot chocolate.

"Usako? Why are you so scared of storms? You always seem to become more paranoid when they come," Mamoru asked, resting his cheek on Usagi's hair.

"Well, I thought that I was born with it, the way everyone's born with fears, but…" Her voice trailed off.

"But what?"

Usagi sighed. "I've actually never told anyone about this. I recently remembered why. It happened during the Silver Millennium." She broke off, taking a sip of her hot chocolate and snuggling next to Mamoru. Images of that horrible day, when she was barely an eight year old princess that was used to being protected from any harm that could possibly come to her, flashed through her mind. Mamoru wrapped a comforting arm around her. She sighed before continuing.

"You know how nobody ever talks about my father on the Silver Millennium? It was because of what happened on my eighth birthday on the Moon. My father and I were very close. On my eighth birthday, he took me out for a little father-daughter picnic. It was a beautiful day, and we had the perfect view of the Earth. It was a spot where only we went very much, but somehow its beauty never faded. There where fountains and flowers, and you could still see the palace, shining and silver, in the distance. It was mostly our spot. We were laughing, talking, and playing, and it seemed like it would have been the perfect celebration for my birthday. Small, but with one person who I loved very much. After probably two hours, a thunderstorm broke out. It was stimulated, like everything on the Moon, but people tried to get weather just like Earth's so that we wouldn't live in a boring, barren world. We packed up to go, but then we heard something come from behind one of the fountains." She paused again. She could still see every horrible detail, hear every terrible sound. Her screams, her father's yell of pain, the laughter of the assassins, and, loudest of all, the roar of thunder overhead. Tears were streaming down her face as she saw the image of her beloved father lying bloody and dying on the bed of flowers beneath.

"If you don't want to talk about it, then you don't have to." Mamoru felt a stab of pain at seeing Usagi cry. Had he known that that question would have sparked so many painful memories, then he never would have asked.

"No, it's okay. I might as well finish it. There turned out to be three men hiding behind the fountain. One of them threw a knife and it stabbed my dad in the back. Another knife caught me in the leg." Again, she had to pause. The pain still felt fresh in her leg, even though she physically had never been stabbed. She felt a lump rising up in her throat and had to choke it down. "I saw my father fall to the ground and felt myself being lifted up before I went unconscious. By the time I woke up, I was lying in a dark room full of crates, and there wasn't that much air. I could hear two assassins talking and found out that my father had managed to take one down before… he couldn't hold on anymore. The other two sounded drunk, so I couldn't really make out much more. They were sitting right on the other side of the room, so I decided to pretend that I was still sleeping. My leg was wrapped in a filthy, bloody cloth, and my dress was torn. I began to cry, and there was an explosion of power. You know what used to happen when Chibiusa cried? Something similar happened then. The two men were knocked backwards, and I guess that everyone was looking for me close by because right then, the door burst open. My mother and a crowd of guards were standing there. I had never seen my mother so angry before and it scared me. I saw all the guards run into the room and knock the two men out with clubs. My mother ran to me and hugged me, then she used the crystal to heal my leg. When she rushed me outside, the storm was still going on. It was cold, wet, and dark; I had seen my father stabbed and my leg still hurt. The two murderers were executed, but I've been afraid of thunderstorms ever since. They just keep reminding me of that day. And I never went to our spot again."

Usagi was shivering and crying, especially because the storm had gotten worse, intensifying the memories. Mamoru was in shock. She had seen more than anyone deserved to have seen, especially at so young. And she still remembered it. Still, she had been such a happy, loving princess. Now that he thought about it, she still acted innocent and naïve even though she had seen too much as a Senshi. He thought that he was good at masking his emotions. How much pain was she really in when everyone, even himself, thought that she couldn't be happier? He rocked her gently, trying to comfort her, because she was freely crying with all of the fresh pain of memories. What had she ever done to deserve all this? And how much, Mamoru wondered, was she truly hiding?


End file.
